Taira
by Mirai Hope
Summary: Set in the MIRAI timeline!! ^-^ Second posting on ff.net; rated 'R' for angst. Please read and review, minna-san!!! =^@.@^=
1. Default Chapter

If I owned DBZ, Mirai Trunks would be mine,   
Vegeta and Piccolo would belong to Arishia-chan,  
Vegeta and a cloned Mirai Trunks would belong to Chibi Tenshi,  
All versions of Cell, Dr. Gero, and the mirai jinzouningen   
would all be subject to my siblings' tort- errr 'play'.   
Taira would also be a canon character..... ^-^  
But the above hasn't happened, and probably never will.  
  
So DON'T SUE, because I DON'T CLAIM TO OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FANFIC EXCEPT TAIRA AND ANY OTHERS I COME UP WITH. So there. :P  
  
Enjoy!  
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CHAPTER ONE  
  
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The loneliness of nights alone  
the search for strength to carry on  
my every hope has seemed to die  
my eyes had no more tears to cry...  
  
"You have one minute." Taira's eyes widened.  
  
"Starting now."  
  
She turned and ran. She'd always been fast, but now she doubted her feet even touched the ground. Her mind counted off the seconds as she pushed herself faster. She didn't watch where she was going and ran into something that felt like a wall. She looked up into those cold blue eyes and her heart stopped.  
  
'No!' her mind screamed. She stumbled to her feet and ran again, refusing to cry. No way. She could get away. Her brother had, twice. She could, too.  
  
An arm shot out of nowhere and grabbed her, pulling her to the ground. She kicked out and someone grabbed her foot. She drew her legs up against herself, ready to kick harder. "Calm down," a soothing voice said.  
  
Taira froze. The guy's voice wasn't that of the jinzouningen. She turned her head and saw black eyes. But they weren't cold. In fact, they were gentle. A blast struck the area and Taira clapped a hand over her mouth to block the scream. She'd hidden from the jinzouningen before. Without a second thought, she dove behind the young man that had caught her leg- and right onto someone else.  
  
She rolled to the side and looked back. Her face flamed red when she caught the stunned look of a gorgeous blue- eyed teenage boy staring back at her. As if it were an afterthought, he too blushed. "Say, what happened?" Taira looked up at the first guy.  
  
"Umm," she began, as her eyes filled with tears. "They killed my sister. And I got mad and hit the guy. He thought it was funny and told me to run."  
  
"They?"  
  
Taira nodded. "The- the jinzouningen," Both guys' eyes widened. "You- you hit Juunanagou??" the younger asked incredulously. "Well, if that's his name, hai." Another blast rocked the area and Taira instinctively covered her head. "Where are you?!" another male voice called.  
  
Taira's blood froze. It was him, the murderer that had killed her sister. "Come out, chibi shoujo! You should know better than to try to hurt me! I'll rip you to pieces!" Taira began to shake. "Boy, you really ticked him off, ne?" Taira nodded nervously. She had known people that would think nothing of distracting the jinzouningen by putting her out into the street. Would these two be the same?  
  
The older one stood. "Stay here, Trunks."  
  
"But Gohan-san-"  
  
"Iie, Trunks. They're really mad right now," The younger, Trunks, slumped slightly. "Don't worry, Trunks. I'll be back soon," With that, Gohan took off. Flying. Taira's eyes widened.   
  
'Only jinzouningen can fly!' "Gohan-san is not a jinzouningen," Taira jumped before realizing she'd said it aloud. She looked at Trunks briefly before lowering her eyes. "Gomen nasai," she said softly.   
  
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Trunks blinked. He hadn't meant to sound that harsh, and now the already- terrified girl looked ready to cry.  
  
A sudden blast very close by caught them off guard and Taira was flung out into plain view. Almost automatically, Juuhachigou appeared. Trunks' breath caught in his throat as Juuhachi picked up the girl by the front of her shirt. Taira began to thrash around, trying to get free. Trunks jumped to his feet.  
  
"Oi! Juunana! Look what I caught!" Juuhachi tossed the girl into the air and smirked. Just then, an orange blur whizzed by.  
  
"Trunks! Catch!"  
  
He looked up to see Gohan and the girl. Gohan dropped her and Trunks managed to react in time to catch the half- conscious girl before she hit the ground. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was barely breathing. "Hey, you okay?" he asked softly. She opened one eye slowly, then moaned. "I swear I've died and gone to heaven," she murmured. Trunks blinked a few times. "Um, no, you're still alive,"  
  
She opened both eyes this time. "Darn," He set her down gently. "Ah, there you are," a feminine voice drawled. Trunks looked up into the cold gaze of Juuhachigou and his eyes narrowed. "Tell you what, kid. Let me have that girl and I'll let you live- for now,"  
  
"In your dreams, jinzouningen," he snarled, powering up. Juuhachi raised an eyebrow. "So you want to fight? Good luck," From the corner of his eye, Trunks saw the girl start to back up. 'That's right, keep going. Run away from here,' As if she heard his thoughts, the black-haired girl turned and ran.   
  
Juuhachigou raised a finger, aiming for the girl's back as she weaved around rubble and twisted metal, making for a fairly difficult target. Trunks powered up more and sent a ki blast directly at Juuhachigou, catching her off-guard. The jinzouningen stood back up, leveling her furious gaze on the demi- Saiya-jin. "You'll pay for that," she snarled, blurring out of sight.  
  
The next instant Trunks was smashed into the ground from behind. Before he could even stand, a boot connected with his ribs and he was sent flying into the air. The blonde jinzouningen disappeared again and Trunks whipped around to barely block Juuhachigou's interlocked fists. The sheer force knocked him back several dozen feet, almost to the ground below. The next instant he was blocking as many hits from Juuhachi as he could, the two of them flashing in and out of sight faster than normal eyes could follow. Finally Juuhachigou struck him a direct blow that caused him to see nothing but blackness.   
  
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Taira had seen the lavender-haired teenage boy hit the ground and not get up. A quick glance over her shoulder showed his companion still fighting the male jinzouningen, possibly unaware about his young friend's predicament. Taira took a deep breath, praying to Kami she'd live. There had to be a Kami somewhere, or she wouldn't be alive now.  
  
So she left her well being to the upper deities and darted forward in short bursts. When she got to the impossibly huge crater, it took all her self-control not to break down in tears. 'Another one gone,' she thought miserably, wondering if he had any family left. He did have a friend, at least. Which was far more than she now had.  
  
Taira was about to turn and run as the female jinzouningen appeared some fifty feet away, but movement in the crater made her stop. Quickly she leapt into the crater, landing in a crouch near the bottom. With some difficulty, she managed to hoist him to a more comfortable position, shuddering slightly when she felt a few ribs shift under her grip.  
  
Slowly she dragged him to a nearly invisible hole in the debris, then ducked as the jinzouningen stalked by. How she missed them Taira couldn't comprehend, but she didn't care.  
  
The boy, Trunks, stirred slightly and moaned in pain. Taira quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and held her breath, waiting to see if they'd be blasted. Nothing. She exhaled slowly and silently, a little at a time. No sense in pushing her luck any more than she already had.  
  
Eventually the sounds of explosions died away and Taira wondered if the jinzouningen had moved on.   
  
"Trunks??"  
  
Taira looked up, tilting her head to one side and trying to discern how far away the voice was. "Gohan-san?!" she cried, using the name the lavender-haired teen at her feet had said and praying the jinzouningen really had left. A minute later a beaten Gohan appeared, looking around in Taria's general direction.  
  
"Umm, sir? He's over here," A relieved expression crossed the young man's face and he hurried over to her. "Domo arigatou, miss," he said gratefully. Taira glanced briefly at the young man and wondered how he could possibly stand with all his injuries.  
  
"Dou- Doushitano?" she asked carefully. "Hai," was the tired response. "I've been worse," "You're kidding," Taira mumured, taking a closer look at Gohan's burns. "You aren't normal, are you?" she asked, looking straight into his eyes.  
  
"Umm, well, what do you mean?" he stammered. "I knew it," she breathed. "You're like my oniisan. . ." Gohan's eyebrows raised. "What's that mean?" "You aren't a normal human," she stated. ". . .Fine," Gohan finally sighed. Taira smiled. "Nice to meet you, Gohan-san. My name is Taira, and I owe you and your friend majorly. What say I clean those for you?"  
  
Gohan blinked, then looked down somewhat sheepishly. "That'd be really nice, I guess," "Okay. Do you think you can walk a ways?" Gohan nodded and knelt to lift the still-unconscious Trunks. "Are you sure you can carry him?" Taira asked doubtfully. Her question was answered as the young man easily hoisted his companion onto his shoulder.  
  
"Um, okay. There's an open pipe about a quarter of a mile away from here that I use, and some plants that'll help with the healing process," Gohan nodded and they began walking.   



	2. Chapter 2

Lord knows   
Dreams are hard to follow   
But don't let anyone   
Tear them away, hey yeah   
Hold on   
There will be tomorrow   
In time   
You'll find the way....   
  
  
Trunks felt something cool and wet being applied to various places on his body. He opened his eyes to see the girl from earlier bent over one of his arms, carefully cleaning a long burn. One delicate brow was furrowed slightly as she chewed her lower lip in concentration.  
  
'She's pretty,' he thought in admiration, blushing slightly. "Hey, Trunks, feeling better?" Trunks lazily turned his focus to his mentor. "Gomen nasai, Gohan-san. I wasn't much help," The girl snorted but said nothing. Gohan smiled.  
  
"Trunks, this is Taira. And I'd advise you not to move," Trunks' eyes tracked downward again, where he could see Taira had moved down to a gash he remembered getting but could not feel. "She cut off the blood flow temporarily," Gohan explained, watching the girl work.  
  
"Hai," she said, speaking for the first time since Trunks had opened his eyes. "When I'm done with you, stay where you are. No walking until I work on your leg again, okay?"  
  
"Um, okay," he replied obediently. Her tone of voice indicated no arguing, and previous experiences with his okaasan and ChiChi had taught him to always be respectful- for his best interests if nothing else. The last thing he needed was for that girl to get mad at him, while he couldn't defend himself and she knew how to deal with injuries.  
  
Finally she backed away and turned, wringing out bloody rags that Trunks flinched upon seeing. After a few moments, she turned to Gohan. "Your turn," she stated simply, dark eyes taking practised calculation of the young man's wounds. He smiled wryly, sitting back against a stone wall.  
  
Trunks sat up and moved closer to his sensei, watching curiously as Taira quickly and expertly cleaned Gohan's wounds. The older demi- Saiya-jin clenched his teeth tightly at some points, relaxing at others. "You're a miracle worker," he grinned when she was done.  
  
"I wish," she muttered, blushing furiously- and giving a beautiful tint to her lightly tanned complexion- as she again cleaned out the rags and began cleaning her own less severe wounds without all of the same gentleness she had used on the Saiya-jins.  
  
"Do you guys live near here?" she asked conversationally. "Trunks does," Gohan responded. "I live out near Mt. Paozu," "You're kidding," Taira said, looking up from her work. "Iie," "That's miles from here!" Gohan shrugged. "I fly," he said simply. "Are you one of the rebel fighters or something?" she asked Trunks curiously. "Sort of," he replied, blushing. Taira cleaned the rags out one last time and stretched slowly, eyeing him curiously. "Have we met before?" she asked. "Um, I don't think so," he replied politely, knowing he would definitely remember meeting her.  
  
Suddenly she blinked. "Is your last name, by any, chance, Briefs?" He nodded and her eyes lit up. "No wonder! You have your okaasan's eyes, and that particular hair isn't exactly common..." she giggled slightly. "Sorry if I seem rude,"  
  
"Taira-san?" Gohan began.   
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Do you- what's your last name?" he asked.   
  
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Taira blinked. 'Remember what your oniisan said,' she thought frantically. "I was never told," she replied. "You?"  
  
"Son," Taria's eyes widened. "Your name is Son Gohan?" This was too good to be true. Both of her siblings had once said that if she was ever without family, the Sons were family friends to both parents. "Are you related to Gokou?" she asked excitedly.  
  
"He was my otousan," Gohan replied softly, averting his gaze. 'Past tense, you idiot!' Taira's mind hissed. "I- I'm sorry," she stammered. "It's okay," Gohan replied, although it clearly was not. Taira turned her attention to Trunks instead, removing the makeshift bandages. Her jaw dropped.  
  
"That's impossible!" she whispered. The gash that would have caused enough blood loss to kill anyone was already healing- slowly, but visibly. "We recover quickly," Trunks said nervously. "No kidding," she breathed. Taira shook her head to clear it and replaced the bandages with clean ones, then placed her hands on either side of the wound.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Trunks asked anxiously. "Bring the feeling and blood flow back so you can walk. I'll tell you this: it's going to hurt like hell," "As if it didn't earlier?" he muttered. She began the hard, deep movements of massaging the teen's leg, breathing more easily as the tendons and veins slowly responded. That was a very good, very comforting sign.  
  
Five minutes later he stood up, gingerly placing weight on his injured leg. "Wow," he said, shocked. She smiled and blushed. "You need to go easy on it, though, okay? I may have helped the healing process somewhat, but it's not perfect,"  
  
"Okay," he replied distractedly, still focused on his leg. "Taira-san, may I ask you something?" Gohan asked. Taira turned her attention to him, nodding carefully. "How do you know of my otousan?" She paused. 'I can't expect him to take care of me,'   
  
"My oniisan and ototochan told me our parents knew him," she said slowly, trying not to give away too much information. "Who were your parents?" "I- I don't know," she replied shamefully.   



	3. Chapter 3

^-^ I got two reviews!! ^-^ Thanks, Spooky Fyre and Sosoru!!!!   
Next chapter!  
  
Minna-san, this will NOT be a T/P. Or T/M. So don't flame me; you have been warned.   
  
  
  
But under skinned knees and the skid marks  
Past the places where you used to learn  
You howl and listen  
Listen and wait for the  
Echoes of angels who won't return  
  
Trunks and Gohan- who was carrying Taira- landed lightly outside of Capsule Corp. "You were right," she admitted breathlessly, sweeping a few loose locks of silky raven hair out of her now-bright eyes. "That is the coolest thing I've ever experienced,"   
  
Both demi- Saiya-jins laughed as they approached the front door to the huge building, but their laughter quickly died as Bulma, stepping into view, cleared her throat expectantly.   
  
'Now we're in for it,' Trunks thought, swallowing nervously.   
  
"You're Bulma Briefs?" Taira asked excitedly. The aqua-haired woman nodded carefully, eyeing Taira with the look of someone trying to place a long-lost friend. 'I'll have to ask her about that later,'   
  
Taira bowed respectfully. "Pleasure to meet you, Bulma-sama," "May I ask whom this charming young lady is?" "Watashi wa namae Taira,"   
  
Bulma shook hands with the girl as Gohan quickly explained what had happened. Taira kept her eyes averted, blushing furiously. Bulma quickly and critically checked Trunks over, making him blush as well. "Good job," Bulma praised Taira, while her eyes told Trunks they'd be having a little 'chat' later.   
  
"Although he wouldn't have gotten like that if it hadn't been for me," Taira admitted softly. "Nani?? Why?" Bulma asked instantly.  
  
Taira shifted nervously, tears coming to her eyes and staying. "I- I hit the shounen jinzouningen," she explained softly, yet boldly. "He thought it was funny; said I had one minute to run. Then Gohan-san pulled me out of sight- after I almost kicked him, anyway- and I kinda landed on Trunks-san. The blonde jinzouningen found us and Trunks-san fought her. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if I hadn't been there,"   
  
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Taira waited anxiously, carefully watching for the aqua-haired woman's reaction. To her surprise- and relief- she smiled. "That's Trunks for you," she said teasingly. "Got to be the hero, just like his sensei,"   
  
Trunks blushed furiously, averting his gaze.   
  
"I bet you're all hungry, aren't you?" Bulma asked. Both Saiya-jins looked up and Taira stepped back, intending to make her exit. She bumped into something- or rather, someone- and looked up in surprise. Gohan smiled down at her and she blushed.  
  
"You said you'd stay, remember?" Taira shifted nervously, seeing the hidden questions in his eyes. Her brother- who had a better memory than either of his sisters- had told her she'd gotten that trait from her otousan-- the ability to see more than normal people did, mainly their 'inner self' or hidden agenda. She could tell Gohan wanted to know who she was, and the aqua-haired woman, Bulma, had seemed to recognize her.   
  
Not good.  
  
"I said I'd stay to meet her," Taira replied. "I- I don't want to- " "You're perfectly welcome to stay, at least for dinner," Bulma invited. "Um, okay. But just dinner,"  
  
Bulma, her son, and Gohan smiled at her. And Taira, for the first time in two weeks, smiled a real smile. The smile you give a good friend- or your family.  
  



	4. Chapter 4

And when the stars are shining brightly   
In the velvet sky   
I'll make a wish, send it to heaven,   
And make you want to cry   
The tears of joy for all the pleasure   
In the certainty   
That we're surrounded by the comfort   
And protection of the highest powers,   
In lonely hours   
The tears devour you.....   
  
Taira ended up staying the night, courtesy of Bulma's 'persuasion'.   
  
Not that Trunks minded. Taira, in addition to being a beautiful nurse, also had a quick and sharp mind. And she was extremely good at card games.   
  
"Again?" Bulma asked in disbelief as Taira, smirking, showed her cards.   
  
"It's not that hard," she said, blushing lightly. "Anyway, thanks for letting me stay last night and the games and everything. But it's getting late, and I don't want to impose, so-"  
  
"Taira-chan, do you have any family at all, or maybe some friends?" Bulma asked, cutting her off. Trunks caught the look in Taira's eyes as she stared at the table.  
  
"I.... I was told of some family friends," she said slowly, with the thoughtfulness of someone hiding something.   
  
"And?" Bulma prompted, the 'I-know-her-from-somewhere' look back in her eyes. "I- this is a bad time. With the jinzouningen and all, I have to take care of myself. I can't expect anyone else to do it for me,"  
  
"Who are they?" Bulma asked gently.  
  
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Taira shifted uncomfortably. 'What do I tell them?' Gohan himself had left earlier, going back to his house to be with his okaasan. But both would know instantly if she told the Briefs.   
  
"I can't tell you that," she said at last.  
  
"Then you're staying here," Bulma announced. "But- but I-" "You wouldn't be imposing, Taira-chan. I'd love to have a girl to talk to after so long. And if you want, you can even go out with Trunks and Gohan tomorrow, to look for supplies and stuff,"  
  
Taira considered that. Here, there would be protection and meals, she'd get to see at least one person that knew her family almost on a daily basis, and there would be things she could do to help out.  
  
But Bulma also wanted to know her past, her family. And Taira knew she wasn't making it any easier on herself by staying and remaining so...mysterious. 'Why must everything be so confusing?' she wondered in frustration.   
  
"If you really think it would be okay," she said hesitantly, wondering just what on Chikyuu she was getting herself into.  
  
"Of course!" Bulma replied enthusiastically. "And Trunks will have a friend closer to his age! It's not like I don't disagree with him being so close to Gohan-chan or anything, but they're so far apart in age... I mean, Gohan-chan's a good influence and everything. But he was also on Nam- err, an adventure with the Z senshi and I as a child...." the aqua-haired woman sighed in reminisence.   
  
"Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed, Taira-chan," she suggested. "The boys'll be ready to go early," Taira nodded thankfully and went to her room, quickly changing into the oversized t-shirt Bulma had loaned her. She lay awake in bed for hours before stepping out to the balcony.   
  
'Dear Kami, it's beautiful tonight. I wish you could see it, imotochan. You too, oniisan.'  
  
A sigh caught her attention and she looked over to see starlight- for there was no moon; she supposed that to be a legend as well if not for the fact Son Gokou was not- glinting off straight aqua-hair. 'Bulma-san?' Taira wondered.  
  
As if hearing her thought, the blue-eyed woman caught her gaze and smiled sadly before beckoning. Taira blinked, confused, before Bulma pointed to her bedroom. "Come over," she invited.  
  
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Bulma smiled softly at the young girl's curious expression. She waved her over and Taira obeyed, closing the bedroom door and coming to stand over by the railing.   
  
"Amazing how it can be so peaceful during the night, ne?" Bulma asked softly, gesturing around the barely-visible area. Taira nodded distractedly in agreement. 'Maybe she'll be more open now,' Bulma thought, noting the serene expression on the young girl's face.   
  
"Taira-chan, do you mind if I ask what's on your mind?"  
  
The dark-haired girl sighed, her gaze on the stars above. "As far back as I can, every clear night my imotochan, oniisan, and I would lay out under the stars for hours, laughing quietly- we didn't want to attract unwanted attention, if you know what I mean- and joking and imagining things."  
  
Taira wiped away a stray tear, staring at it thoughtfully.   
  
"It was fun, really. It kept us together, and sane, too." She laughed lightly, a beautiful and welcome sound in that time. "It was fun," she repeated. "We'd point out constellations that we made up ourselves, knowing that was as close to peace as we'd ever get."   
  
She looked up at the stars again, momentarily silent.   
  
"Do you remember peace, Bulma-san?"  
  
Bulma blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden question. But she nodded anyway. "What was it like?" She sighed. "It was different than it is now, of course. I thought it to be too boring, but I should've been content with what I had. Instead, I ran off to enjoy freedom- which I suppose was, in a way, knowing peace- and met Gokou." That name definitely caught Taira's attention. Bulma smiled and began to relate her adventures to the inquisitive girl. 


	5. Chapter 5

Like the light in the eye of the storm,  
Tellin' me not to cry anymore.  
Where I watched my whole world fall apart,  
Shinin' through like on angel from afar  
  
Trunks yawned, stepping out into the hallway. Almost immediately he bumped into someone. "Oh! Sumimasen, Trunks-san," Taira. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. Definitely Taira. "Ohayo, Taira-san," he greeted.  
  
She blushed at the title but didn't remark. "Ohayo. When're we leaving?" Trunks shrugged. "When Gohan-san gets here, I guess," "Ah." She paused. "...When will that be?"  
  
"Are you that eager to leave me all by myself?"  
  
"Bulma-san!" Taira jumped and turned around, greeting the aqua-haired woman happily. Trunks smiled. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Okaasan," Bulma grinned back, returning Taira's hesitant hug. The doorbell rang and Trunks tilted his head to one side thoughtfully.   
  
"It's Gohan-san," he said after a moment.   
  
Taira's eyes widened. "How do you know?" "Easy. I can sense his power level," he responded as Taira stared at the front door, where Bulma was letting the spiky-haired demi- Saiya-jin in.   
  
"Ready to go, you two?" he asked after greeting them all. "Hai, Gohan-san," both teens replied simultaneously. Gohan smiled. "All right, then. Bulma-san, we'll be back before dark."   
  
Not 'we should'; 'we will'. Trunks knew the reason for that. 'Always keep an optomistic look on life and you'll live it to the fullest.' He didn't remember who told him that or even where it came from- there was the chance he'd made it up himself, although he doubted it- but lived by it. Especially in this day in time, where things were already far too gruesome.   
  
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"Don't you know it's dangerous to be out all by yourself, what with the jinzouningen and all?" Taira jumped, turning quickly.   
  
"What say you come get out of sight of those destructive machines? I wouldn't want such a pretty young lady like you to get hurt,"   
  
She knew what the yaro really wanted. 'Trunks-san, where are you?!' This man wasn't nearly as foul-looking as some of the other men that had approached her and her sister before, but still...  
  
With a startled thought, she realized she was up against the remnants of a wrecked building. Definitely, definitely bad. 'Kami, why do they pick on me?! Don't they have anything better to do?!?'  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
Panicked, Taira managed to squeeze by and ran. A loud crack sounded in the air, followed by a sharp pain in her shoulder. She cried out, stumbling, but kept going. Footsteps sounded behind her, then she ran into something that felt suspiciously close to being a wall.  
  
'Oh, kuso. I should've watched where I was going... I'm probably in some dark alley, miles from help...'  
  
"Taira-san?"  
  
She blinked away the black spots and looked up. Spiky black hair and black eyes. That was the last she saw before total darkness.   
  
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Gohan lifted the girl, seeing the man that had tried to take advantage of her turn and run. 'Keep going,' he thought angrily, carefully applying pressure to the gunshot wound on her shoulder. 'Bulma-san can help,' he thought, taking off into the sky.  
  
Five long minutes later he touched down in front of Capsule Corp. and darted inside. "Gohan-kun? Did you get anything good?" Bulma called, stepping out of her lab and into the hallway. Her eyes widened. "What happened?"  
  
"She got shot," he replied. He could see the 'Why?' questions in her eyes, but she turned and led him to the medical room.  
  
"How bad is it?"  
  
"Not fatal. I think she mainly fainted from shock and quite literally running into me," "Oh." Gohan set Taira down on the table and stepped back so Bulma could work. "Pretty, isn't she?"  
  
"Hai," Gohan replied absently. "That's why she was shot?" Gohan nodded. "Can't they take a break?" Bulma growled. "Honestly, the world's being torn apart and all some people can think about is themselves,"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Bulma paused. "Trunks-chan, she got shot. Nothing to worry about," The lavender-haired demi- Saiya-jin was immediately at the girl's side. "Who shot her and why?" he demanded. Gohan smiled grimly. "Some guy that wanted to have his way,"  
  
Trunks' face showed confusion, then recognition and anger. "Yaro," he hissed. "Trunks! Watch your language!" Bulma scolded. Trunks blushed and ducked his head. "Gomen nasai, okaasan,"   



	6. Chapter 6

AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANK YOU, JUUHACHIGOU, FOR REVIEWING!! ^-^ PLEASE REVIEW, MINNA-SAN!! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!!  
  
  
Blue eyes. Taira screamed and scrambled backward, then hopped off the soft bed- 'Kami, not again!!'- and onto the floor. This time, though, there were two sets of blue eyes. Or maybe her own eyes were playing tricks on her, as her vision was hazy.   
  
"Taira, what's wong?"  
  
Gohan.  
  
She recognized that voice. As her vision cleared a little more, she darted behind the young man. "Not again," she moaned softly. Gohan turned and bent slightly so he could look into her eyes. "Taira, what is it?"  
  
"Blue eyes. He had blue eyes," she whispered. Gohan frowned. "Taira-san, it's okay. We're at Capsule Corp. now. That's Bulma and Trunks. You know them, remember?" Slowly she nodded, yawning slightly. She was exhausted and sore, especially her shoulder. "Do you want to get some rest?" Gohan asked softly. She nodded sleepily.  
  
'I'm 13 and I act like a baby,' she thought miserably. Trunks stepped forward and Taira immediately backed up, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Trunks froze, as did Taira. 'Kuso,' he thought in frustration. 'She won't let me get close to her...' He wasn't naive; he knew she was still very afraid of what had almost happened to her. Trunks backed up to stand by his mother as Taira looked up at Gohan.  
  
"Want me to take you to your room?" he asked gently. The black-haired girl nodded slowly, averting her gaze. Gohan glanced at the Briefs, giving them an 'I'll-be-right-back' look before leading her down the hall.   
  
"I shouldn't have left her alone," Trunks growled softly. "I should've known...." Bulma rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Trunks-chan. Gohan got to her and she'll be fine. I give her a few days at most, 'kay?" He nodded miserably. 'Yeah, Gohan-san saved her. But he told me to keep an eye on her...'   
  
Minutes later Gohan returned. "She's asleep," he informed them. "She should be fine physically, although I'm not as sure about her emotional state. What do you think, Bulma-san?"   
  
"Well, she's got a pretty good spirit and after what's happened to her already, this shouldn't do anything permanent, but then again....." "Never can tell?" Gohan supplied. "Right."  
  
Bulma turned to Trunks, smiling gently. "Hungry?" Knowing better than to disagree with his mother, he nodded.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Taira spent the rest of the day in her room, either sleeping or staring out the window or at the ceiling. A knock at the door made her jump. "Hai?"  
  
"Is it okay if I come in, Taira-san? Okaasan sent me up with some food, if you're hungry," As if to aid in her decision, her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She shifted slightly on the bed. "Come in," The door opened and Trunks stepped inside, carefully balancing a tray on one hand as he shut the door softly.   
  
"Bored yet?" he asked teasingly, smiling to show he wasn't serious. She smiled back and he blushed, averting his gaze after a moment of both of them staring at each other. "Sort of," she replied carefully, eagerly delving into the food.  
  
When Taira was finished, she cleared her throat nervously. "Gomen nasai, Trunks-kun," she apologized softly, keeping her gaze averted. "For what?" She squirmed slightly, hating the fact she had to explain it. "For acting the way I did earlier,"   
  
At first, there was no response. Then, "It's okay, Taira-san. I don't blame you. I blame the jerk. Can we stay friends?" At his absurd question, she burst into a fit of giggles that left her moaning "ow" well after she was done as she clutched her waist. "Was it something I said?" This time, she knew he was trying to make her laugh-- and it was working very well.   
  
Bulma opened the door then. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, amusement lacing her voice. Taira yelped and crashed into Trunks, sending him toppling off his precarious perch on the side of her bed and onto the floor, where she promptly joined him in what could have been a very suggestive position had it not been an accident.  
  
Both teens shot up as quickly as they could, straightening their clothes and clearing their throats as they pointedly kept their gazes away from anyone else.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Time for bed, you two," Bulma said, grinning mischievously. Trunks' eyes widened in panic and he darted out the door before his mother could imply anything.  
  
Bulma grinned again at the expression of panic in her son's eyes as he almost hit the wall outside Taira's bedroom door, skidding and catching himself just in time. "Very graceful, Trunks dear," "Okaasan," he moaned before shutting his own bedroom door.   
  
"Feeling better?"   
  
Taira nodded. "Arigatou, Bulma-san," "Just Bulma," she insisted for what had to be the thirtieth time that day alone. Taira blushed. "Gomen nasai, Bulma-san," Then she stopped, blinked, and laughed nervously. "Oops,"   
  
Bulma rolled her eyes and sat down at the edge of the bed, much like Trunks had only minutes before. "May I ask you a direct question?" Taira nodded, folding her legs carefully below herself. "Do you like him?" Her eyes widened somewhat and she swallowed nervously.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Trunks."  
  
"He's my friend; why wouldn't I like him?" She was purposely avoiding the question. Bulma smiled anyway-- she'd gotten the information she needed. "Konban wa, Tai-chan,"  
  
"Konban wa, Bulma-san,"   
  



	7. Chapter 7

Domo arigatou to Opal Soul and Juuhachigou, who reviewed!!! *GLOMPS* Thanks!!  
  
  
"May I tell you something?" Taira asked, fidgeting nervously.   
  
Gohan smiled. "Go ahead,"  
  
"Well, it's kind of private," she continued, glancing at the doorway. The Briefs were currently nowhere in sight, thank Kami. Taira did not want an audience.   
  
Gohan nodded. "Want to go outside?" Taira blushed slightly. "Hai, arigatou,"   
  
Ten minutes later the two sat at the edge of a wooded area.  
  
"Gohan-san, I- I wanted to tell you who my parents were," she began. Gohan raised his eyebrows but did not say anything. "But I don't want your opinion of me to change," she continued.  
  
He nodded, wordlessly urging her to go on.  
  
"I'm not a normal human, either,"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Taira-san? Gohan-san?"  
  
Bulma looked up as Trunks stepped into the lab. "I can't find either of them," he stated, slight worry in his voice and expression.   
  
Bulma smiled comfortingly. "I'm sure they're around somewhere, Trunks-chan. They probably just went out for awhile, maybe to her old place or the Sons',"   
  
"But why didn't they ask if I wanted to go?"   
  
"I don't know, Trunks-chan. Maybe it's a personal thing and Taira can't fly yet, so Gohan-kun decided to take her so she wouldn't be at risk of the jinzouningen getting to her,"  
  
'There. That makes sense,' Bulma thought, pleased she hadn't missed a beat and Trunks seemed to believe her, although he still looked hurt.  
  
"Can you lift this for me, Trunks-chan?" she asked, hoping to take his mind off the other two.  
  
"Hai, okaasan," he replied, easily picking up the crate she indicated. "Where to?"   
  
"Basement," she replied after a moment of thought. "Might as well so I don't have to ask again later, ne?" He smiled and Bulma smiled back.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hai, I know. Extremely short chapter. But hey- I have a cliffie here!! Someone want to take a guess as two who she is? Anyone? Just Email me!! Of course, I KNOW who she is, but does anyone else?? 


	8. Chapter 8

That was why she was so familiar to him! And Bulma, too....  
  
"Tien Shin Han and Lunch's daughter, hm?" he asked, just to be sure, although there was no doubt in his mind she truly was. And she was a perfect mixture of both parents: a dark-haired, compassionate beauty with a heart of gold that may have, in another time, been an excellent senshi and one to make any parents proud. As it was, Taira was obviously unique.  
  
"Do you promise not to tell, Gohan-san?" her perfect alto asked softly, eyes searching his. She was innocent as a small child, yet mature as a fully blossomed woman.  
  
"I do, Taira-san. You can trust me on that."  
  
She smiled then, her eyes betraying just how much the confession had meant to her. "Maybe we should get back now, ne?" Gohan nodded and lifted the lightweight girl, taking to the air. "Maybe you'd like to learn how to do this yourself sometime, ne?"   
  
"Nani, fly?" she asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Sure, Tai-san," he responded cheerfully. "Your tousan's Tien; he was a good senshi. And he could fly well- you can, too, if you want,"  
  
"Would- would you teach me?" she asked shyly as they set down on the back porch of Capsule Corp.   
  
"Sure!"   
  
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Trunks glanced up from eating his lunch as the 'couple' walked in. He felt annoyance at seeing the two 'together', even though he knew they were just friends. And, unfortunately, that's all Taira was toward him- a friend.   
  
He sighed mentally, forcing a friendly smile. They smiled back, seating themselves at the table with him.  
  
Suddenly the current reporter came over the air on the radio, announcing the latest jinzouningen attack. Gohan stood and Trunks immediately followed suit. "You guys are going?" Taira asked worriedly.  
  
They nodded and Taira jumped up, hugging them both as did Bulma. "Come back safe, Trunks-kun," Taira whispered before pulling away. He blushed furiously, noting just before he averted his gaze that she was, too.   
  
"I'll be careful," he assured her. She smiled. "You'd better,"  
  
He followed Gohan outside, noting Taira's unusually disturbed expression.  
  
"Hey, we'll be careful," Gohan assured both Taira and Bulma as they took to the air, flying quickly as they shot toward the jinzouningen's newest choice of 'play'.  
  
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Review, onegai!! *pleading Precious-Moments-puppy-dog-style eyes* Kudasai? S'il vous plait?  



	9. 

Something was definitely wrong. Very, very wrong.  
  
Taira closed the front door behind herself silently, pulling the hood of her raincoat down more. There was definitely something wrong. It was as if the entire world (or this city, at least, for she had no way of determining how the rest of the world fared at this moment in time) had suddenly become saddened.   
  
As though it had suffered a great loss.  
  
Taira darted through alleyways and deserted streets as fast as she dared, preparing for the worst. She fingered the communicator she had gotten from Bulma, making sure it was safely tucked into her pocket. They each carried one, for emergencies only, that was also linked to the medical room like a remote control. Very useful.  
  
Taira paused as she felt a wave of power brush by her, then took to running full-out and throwing caution to the wind. Six and a half weeks of living with the Briefs, and she knew better than to dawdle more than she ever had before. Her feet slipped several times on the slick ground below, causing her to stumble and fall a few times.  
  
She stopped suddenly, eyes widening as she beheld the sight in front of her with nothing less than a mix of terror and amazement.  
  
There, in the rain, lay Gohan. Beside him was Trunks, head tilted to the sky and a gold aura surrounding him. His hair stood in spikes above his head, defying not only gravity but the pounding rain as well.   
  
He stopped screaming- and only then did Taira notice he had been- and stared down at Gohan, tears still making their way down his cheeks from his turquoise eyes.  
  
"Trunks-san?" she asked cautiously.  
  
His eerily solid eyes stayed focused on his only male companion as Taira inched closer.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The buzzer sounded frantically and Bulma leapt out of her seat, startled. She snatched up the tracking device and frantically scanned it.  
  
Taking note of the location, she snatched a capsule and darted out the door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He was aware of a familiar voice comforting him as arms circled him in an attempt to comfort. In reality, all the simple gesture did was suffocate him. Make him feel trapped.  
  
Guilty.  
  
He hadn't helped-- the thought that Gohan had knocked him unconscious did not make any difference-- and now the only father figure, brother, best friend, and sensei he had was dead.   
  
Dead.  
  
Because of him.  
  
"Trunks-kun? Daijibou ka?"   
  
That had to be the fifth time she'd asked him. "H- iie,"   
  
Her arms tightened around him, almost as if trying to protect him. Maybe she was. It didn't matter.   
  
Nothing mattered anymore.  
  
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Well.... Umm... I personally haven't seen that episode, so if it's wrong.... This is a fanfic! Things are different! ^-^;;;;   
  
And I'm going to post the next chapter when my reviews hit twenty. ^-^ So review, and have a nice day!! ^-^  
  



	10. 

'Where are you

_'Where are you?' Taira cried desperately, wishing Bulma would hurry.The demi Saiya-jin in her arms seemed to have completely broken down and now seemed as small and vulnerable as a small child, dependent on her and unable to fend for himself.The Super Saiya-jin form had receeded, leaving the drenched boy normal and shivering._

A capsule hovercar appeared then and Taira mentally thanked those above.True, the two young teens were friends- and good ones, at that- demo there was always the chance he could lose control again.Lash out.Possibly at her.

She shuddered slightly as a chill ran through her too-frail body and helped Bulma lift the young demi-Saiya-jin into the hovercar.

"What do we do with Gohan-san?" she whispered anxiously, fighting off the guilt-- she would wait until she was able to release her emotion freely.The Briefs had more than enough problems already.

Only then did Bulma take note of the young, lifeless man laying in the rain, mud-soaked and streaked with blood.Her eyes widened in horror as she went completely rigid.

"Iie," she whispered, unbelieving."Iie," she repeated, sounding hysterical."Gohan!!"The blue-haired woman collapsed beside the demi-Saiya-jin, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bulma-san, we have to go home," Taira said softly, silently urging the woman to hurry."Come on, I'll help you," 

Bulma allowed the black-haired girl to help her carry the young man into the hovercar, where a dazed Trunks still sat, now somewhat dry but still crying.

The flight home was uneventful and brief, and Bulma called ChiChi as soon as she was able.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first thing Trunks was aware of was his mother knocking on his bedroom door and then opening it.

"Have you seen Tai-chan today?" she asked softly, blue eyes filled with worry as she swept a strand of hair behind her ear.Trunks shook his head; he hadn't seen much of anything.The last time he'd seen her had been just the other day when she'd come into his room, persuading him to eat a bit and holding him the way a mother would, comforting him while his mother and ChiChi did whatever it was they did.

"I actually haven't seen her since after dinner last night," Bulma continued when he did not speak."Any ideas?"

Again Trunks shook his head, wanting to be left alone.

"I'm getting worried, Trunks-chan.Would you at least try to sense her?"

Knowing his mother wouldn't leave him until he at least did that, he sighed and extended his senses-- a foreign sensation, almost.She wasn't in Capsule Corporation.Now starting to worry himself, he stretched his ability further, feeling animals and people but no Taira.Anywhere.

"Kaasan?" he began hesitantly, crystal blue eyes meeting crystal blue eyes."She's gone,"

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_Okay, short chapter.But hey-- review and I'll post more!!^-^_


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